Friday Mornings
by Hagar
Summary: PRiS. New Year's: Ashley's having 'The Talk' with her parents. Part I: Christmas, Part III: Springtime
1. Christmas

_Author's note (1): this story has three parts. Expect the second and third parts around New Year's._

_Author's note (2): this story is set in SL-verse. If you didn't read anything else in SL-verse you may be a little confused. You can either (1) read this story as is, (2) read SL-verse, (3) email me and i'll try to answer any questions.

* * *

_

**Part 1: Christmas**

* * *

"_Wednesday morning at five o'clock as the day begins  
Silently closing her bedroom door  
Leaving the note that she hoped would say more  
She goes downstairs to the kitchen  
clutching her handkerchief  
Quietly turning the back door key  
Stepping outside she is free"  
_Lennon and McCartney, "She's Leaving Home"

* * *

_Thursday-Friday, December 24-25, 1998_

"Remind me again why we're hosting a large Christmas dinner?" asked Amanda, setting the empty glasses tray on the kitchen table.

"Because everyone is still excited about Emma" said Ethan, "and they didn't get to see her yet. Mom and Calvin would've never forgiven us if we didn't invite them"

"I know", sighed Amanda, "but I keep waiting for something to go wrong"

"You mean to keep waiting for Shiera to explode", muttered Ethan quietly. Amanda's brother Calvin, and his wife Helen, were in the living room and did not need to hear this. "We shouldn't have let her pick my mom up from the airport. It's not safe"

"She wouldn't do anything to Eileen, don't be ridiculous. Besides, it would've looked weird to Calvin and Helen if we protested too much"

"I don't trust that girl with people, Amanda. She isn't normal"

"Uncle Calvin is asking about the eggnog", said Emma, coming into the kitchen. Her tone was sullen as she added: "I don't like aunt Helen. She keeps fussing over me"

"That's because she's happy you're awake, sweetie", said Amanda.

"She doesn't even know me," said Emma, "and I'm tired of hearing what a _miracle_ it is that I'm awake and well. It's not a miracle"

"Of course it is", said Ethan sharply. "That's what the doctors say". He and Amanda exchanged glances: Shiera watched her mouth, if nothing else, but the concept of concealment was foreign to Emma. She wouldn't – or couldn't – watch her mouth.

"I'll go get Calvin his eggnog", said Amanda. "Honestly, he shouldn't drink so much before dinner"

"When is Shiera going to be here with grandma, anyway?" asked Emma.

"Grandma's plane only landed an hour ago" said Ethan, glancing at the oven's time display as he checked on the duck. "They're probably still stuck in traffic"

"Shiera doesn't get stuck in traffic"

"Even holiday traffic?"

"Duh"

"Emma", said Ethan warningly. The duck would be ready just in time – if Shiera would indeed get lucky.

"Stop running down the child" said Helen, coming into the kitchen. " It's really sweet that she has so much faith in her sister"

"Too much faith", muttered Ethan. Emma left the kitchen the moment Helen entered it. It annoyed him that he could not speak freely in his own house: either he had to make sure that his sister-in-law wouldn't hear or see anything she shouldn't, or he had to watch for his daughters' attitude.

"She has a hard time adjusting, doesn't see", said Helen sympathetically.

"You have no idea" was the vehement reply.

"How are you handling it? All of you, I mean". Helen spread her arms. "You and Amanda seem worn out"

"It's just the holidays" lied Ethan. _And worrying about Shiera's constant forays to other planet, or Emma joining her so enthusiastically_, he thought. _And everything else that comes with it_.

Helen shook her head. "I don't believe you, Ethan", she said. Ethan's heart skipped a beat, but then she added: "You've had too much luck"

"My daughter was comatose for four years, Helen. My other daughter won't speak to me…" he bit his lip. He did _not_ mean to say that out loud.

"Shiera doesn't seem to talk much to anyone", said Helen. "No offence, Ethan, but you should've done something about her years ago"

"Don't I know it", sighed Ethan. He'd wondered many times if there was anything he and Amanda could've done that might have changed the way things turned out. _Maybe if we'd been more firm with her when she started with the martial arts obsession…_ "I think it's too late, now"

"I'd tell you that it's never too late but, hey," Helen shrugged, "I've never had children"

Ethan was about to say something, but then they heard the front door opening, and Shiera's voice called "We're here!"

"I can't believe it, she beat the traffic!" roared Calvin. Helen and Ethan left the kitchen in time to see Amanda slap her brother's arm and tell him: "You've had enough eggnog"

"Mom!" Ethan went right over to his mother and bent down to hug her. She hugged him back reluctantly, because that meant she had to let go of Emma. "It's so good to see you"

"It's been too long", agreed Amanda, right behind her husband.

"I'm not big on travels", said Eileen, "but maybe you're right". She pressed Emma close to her again. "I could use seeing my granddaughters more often"

"I'll go put these in the guest room" interrupted Shiera, slightly lifting her grandmother's bags; she hadn't really let go of them since entering. "If that's okay with everyone"

"Do you need help with those?" asked Calvin. "They're almost… bigger than she is" he finished, staring at Shiera's back as she disappeared upstairs. "Girls are not supposed to be that strong. Especially tiny skinny things like her. What are you feeding her, Amanda? She's practically skin and bones"

"She added weight recently" said Amanda defensively. "She eats like the rest of us put together"

"Maybe she's bulimic", suggested Helen.

"She's an athlete", said Ethan firmly, before Emma could say anything stupid. "Go sit at the table, everyone. Dinner will be ready in a minute"

* * *

"That went well", said Ethan to no one in particular as he loaded the dishwasher. Shiera was in the kitchen, too, helping to clean out while Amanda put Emma to bed, but she hadn't said a word to Ethan in over a month now, and so now he pretended to speak to the air. "Calvin was never the most observant of people, Helen managed to miss it when Emma healed that cut, and my mom didn't notice anything out of the ordinary – yet. She is staying here until after New Year's, though". It was the thing with Emma that really freaked Ethan out: Helen had cut her hand while collecting the shards of a broken glass, and Emma healed that. The kid was smart about it, though: she grabbed Helen's hand quickly, before Helen could take a good look at the cut, and kissed it, saying "There, now it wouldn't hurt at all". Helen took Emma's actions for childish sweetness, but Ethan and Amanda had seen Emma heal minor injuries enough times to know what had really happened.

"Don't be angry with Emma, she doesn't deserve it", said Shiera quietly. "And we'll keep things normal where grandma can see or hear. I don't want her knowing, either, as you should've known"

Ethan almost dropped the dish he was holding. He twisted around and looked at Shiera. She wasn't looking at him at all, but rather continued with what she was doing. "What happened to make you talk?" he asked. Already he wasn't sure if she spoke at all – maybe he only imagined hearing her answer him.

"Don't hurt Emma". Now Shiera was looking at him, too, and she looked serious – like she always did.

"Of course I wouldn't hurt her!"

"You're hurting her all the time"

"How?"

"Yelling at her when she's just trying to help – like that first time she healed someone in the house, remember?"

"That was scary, Shiera. Even you were surprised"

"I didn't know she could learn that", agreed Shiera. "That's all. Nothing surprising about healing, anymore"

"Says the Ranger", muttered Ethan. "That Melissa person had no right…"

"For one thing, Emma asked her to teach her that. For another, you really should get to know Melissa better before you say anything about her. And, in case you forgot, Emma would still be lying in the hospital if not for Melissa. So watch your mouth"

"Don't talk to me like that" snapped Ethan.

Shiera's eyes narrowed. "When you're this close to accusing someone who's done your family nothing but good?"

"You are still my daughter…"

"So _act_ like it!"

The kitchen was completely still for a few minutes. Then Shiera resumed putting things in the fridge.

"What was that supposed to mean?" demanded Ethan, but she didn't answer. "What was that all about?" No answer. Sighing, Ethan returned his attention to the dishes. _Now I remember why I didn't miss her talking to me_, he thought. _I hope mom really is asleep and didn't hear any of this_.

* * *

For a moment, Amanda wasn't sure what woke her up. Then she heard it again, and smiled. It was Friday morning; it was Christmas, and her daughters were laughing about downstairs; it was Christmas, and her family was together, even if not whole. _We can make it_, she thought. _All the fights and the arguments, do they really mean anything? Why should it be like that? We can make it better. We should_. With that thought, she got out of bed and wrapped up in her gown before going downstairs.

The girls were in the living room, sitting underneath the Christmas tree. Emma had a humongous plush green toy snake wrapped about her. She was breathing heavily, as if she had just ran, but she was also smiling triumphantly. Next to her, Shiera was shaking her head, apparently amused by something.

"Hi, mom!" called Emma. Shiera turned her head, but said nothing.

"Hi, girls", said Amanda, sitting next to them on the carpet. "So, who's the snake from?"

"Zhane got it for Shiera", said Emma. "Isn't it the cutest?"

Amanda wasn't sure that a six-foot snake with a mean expression counted as 'cute', even if it was just a plush toy. Still, Emma seemed positively delighted about it and even Shiera was smiling. "It's cute", allowed Amanda. "Hey", she frowned at the gifts pile, "most of these weren't hear last night, were they?"

Shiera shook her head. "They're from the team. I think DECA teleported them in at midnight"

"Oh". Momentarily weirded out, Amanda reach for the most normal thing she could. "So what did they get you guys?"

"Well, we started from Zhane's because Emma had to know what that big lumpy package was", said Shiera dryly, "though in retrospect, she probably knew what mine's gonna be and was just waiting to snuggle it. I should probably kill Zhane for hers, as he got her a flight simulator"

"Isn't it cool?" Emma held the box out to her mom for inspection, but Amanda just shook her head. "New bracelet?" she asked.

"Yeah, from Cassie"

"The Pink Floyd discography is from her, too", added Shiera.

Amanda raised her eyebrows. "Good taste"

"Yeah, well". Shiera tugged the yellow ribbon on the package she was holding, and a green scarf flowed out of the wrapping paper. She caught it and held it against the light.

"It's beautiful", said Amanda softly. "You need help with that?" she offered, as Shiera tried to figure out how to best tie the long scarf.

Shiera raised her eyes, as if surprised. "Sure", she said.

Amanda fixed it around Shiera's neck, handling the delicate fabric with care. It was smooth and light, and the rich green color reflected back the light. "It looks like silk, but it doesn't quite feel like it", commented Amanda.

"It might be Triforian. Ashley had been going on about their fabrics for ages"

Amanda's fingers faltered. "Triforian?"

"Yeah. Cool place. They need better predator control, though"

Amanda bit her lip and finished tying the scarf. _Even the scarf is alien_. "There", she concluded. "Looking really good on you"

Shiera smiled. "Thanks, mom"

"Look what I've got!" squealed Emma. She was holding what looked like a small, colorful wire ball in her hand. Amanda watched, astonished, as Emma threw it in the air and it expanded, hovering in midair. "I've wanted one like this for ages!"

"Just remember grandma's in the house", said Shiera quietly.

Amanda's heart sank. "What is it?" she asked.

"Telekinesis ball" said Emma excitedly. "It's special for kids to play with, because it's really, really sensitive. Kirrie and I play with hers all the time" Even as she spoke, the ball rose and began circling around the tree.

"Telekinesis", repeated Amanda, looking at the flying ball and then at her daughter. "You can make things move with your mind?"

"All humans can, mom", said Shiera. "Most just never bother to do that. Telekinesis balls are pretty common toy on Kerova, though"

"I see", said Amanda heavily. "Maybe you should wait until the weekend is over before you start playing with it, sweetie"

"I'll be careful, mom", promised Emma.

"I'll know when grandma wakes up" offered Shiera. "It's safe until then"

"Unless the neighbours see", said Amanda.

"So I'll play in my room", said Emma. The ball descended and collapsed into her waiting hand, and she put it away.

"What do you girls say for hot chocolate, and some Christmas cookies?" suggested Amanda as the girls reached for more gifts. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know what they were, but she wasn't sure how to leave the girls without hurting them.

"Thanks, mom" said Shiera. Emma nodded too.

Amanda pushed herself up and turned towards the kitchen. "I'll be back in a few," she told them. She completely missed how Shiera's eyes followed her.

* * *

Emma was fidgeting in her chair long before Christmas lunch was over. By the time Amanda offered a second round of dessert, Emma was close to exploding.

"Mom, can I go play my new simulator in Shiera's room? Please?" she asked.

"What new simulator?" asked Ethan.

"The flight simulator Zhane got me. Shiera agreed to install in for me on her computer. Please?"

"What kind of a name is Zhane?" asked Eileen.

"Swedish" said Shiera.

Amanda and Ethan exchanged glances. Shiera was a smooth liar, no doubt about it: it made them all the more worried.

"Alright, you can go", Ethan told Emma. _Before she says something that will be harder to cover._

"Great!" Emma all but bounced out of her chair and dragged Shiera upstairs.

"It's very nice that Emma has so many new friends already" said Eileen.

Ethan and Amanda exchanged looks. "Most are Shiera's friends, actually", said Amanda. "They're a pretty tight bunch, and most of them treat Emma like their own sister. She has some friends her own age, too"

"Hum", said Eileen. "What are they, some kind of a gang?"

_Yes_, thought Ethan. "No", he said, "Model kids, the whole lot. How's the cake, mom?" he asked. "Amanda has been trying to recreate the recipe for years, you know"

"It's good", allowed Eileen, "but I still stay your dad's was better"

"Hey, I'm trying!" said Amanda.

"I'm just getting to you, girl", laughed Eileen. "You're too uptight"

"Well, it's the holidays", said Amanda with a forced smile. "Things will probably get better after New Year's"

* * *

Half an hour later, the adults were sitting in the living room over coffee and some more cake. The girls were still in Shiera's room.

"I'll get that", said Ethan when the doorbell rang.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Karlson" said Carlos politely when the door opened. "Is Shiera home?"

"Yes", said Ethan curtly. _As the kid damn well knows_, he thought. _Probably paged her before coming here_. "She's upstairs in her room"

"Thanks" said Carlos. He brushed past Ethan easily, and stopped as the bottom of the stairs. "Merry Christmas", he told the two women in the living room.

"Hi, Carlos", said Amanda. She got up. "Eileen, this is Shiera's boyfriend, Carlos. Carlos, this is Eileen Karlson, Ethan's mother. She'll be staying here until after New Year's"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am"

"Carlos?" drifted Shiera's voice from upstairs. "You're early"

"I know"

"I'll be down in a minute"

"Carlos!" Emma shot downstairs, straight into Carlos' arms. "Thanks for the book, it's awesome!"

"Hey, little one" laughed Carlos as he picked her up. "You're getting a little too heavy for this, don't you think?"

"Shiera doesn't think I'm heavy"

"That's because Shiera is a supergirl", said Carlos. "I'm not"

Emma giggled.

"Hey, I'm ready" Shiera came hurrying out of her room. She paused at the top of the stairs and laughed. "Oh, now I get it!"

"Took you some time", said Carlos. "Even I knew they were going to do it"

"Do what?" demanded Ethan, but got his answer right away: Shiera was wearing a green and black biker-style jacket, which Ethan was sure he'd never seen before. Carlos was wearing a twin jacket.

"A couple of the guys got us twin jackets", explained Carlos unnecessarily, putting Emma down. "They probably thought it's funny"

"It makes sense", said Emma. "You always wear the same colors anyway"

"I'll see you later, okay, sweetie?" Shiera asked Emma. "Make sure you don't interrupt anyone with your game"

Emma nodded.

"I'll be around later", said Shiera, turning to her parents. "We're having a get-together at Ashley's"

"Have fun" said Ethan.

"We will", said Carlos with a tight smile.

As the door closed behind them, Shiera could hear her grandmother say: "He looks like a really nice boy, Ethan. I don't understand why you despise him so much"


	2. New Year's

**Part 2: New Year's**

* * *

"_Father snores as his wife gets into her dressing gown  
Picks up the letter that's lying there  
Standing alone at the top of the stairs  
She breaks down and cries to her husband  
Daddy our baby's gone  
Why would she treat us so thoughtlessly  
How could she do this to me"  
_Lennon and McCartney, "She's Leaving Home"

* * *

_Friday, January 1, 1999_

"Oh, morning, honey"

"Morning, mom" yawned Ashley as she came downstairs. "You sound surprised"

"I thought you're going to sleep over at Cassie's"

"I told you I'd be home"

"I know you did", said Sylvia, "but you're usually going to Cassie's when you're staying up late"

Standing behind her mother's back, Ashley allowed herself to grimace. Cassie's parents lived and worked in LA, which meant that Cassie had theapartment to herself, more often than not. Most of Ashley's supposed sleepovers at Cassie's were spent either on the Megaship or – since summer – running diplomatic errands.

"It's New Year's, mom", said Ashley earnestly. "You didn't really think I'd spend it anywhere but home, right?"

"I hoped you wouldn't, but…" Sylvia turned to face her daughter, and shrugged helplessly. "You're never here, Ashley. You're at school, or you have practice, or you're out with friends. Sometimes I feel like you only come here to sleep – and even that not always"

"Mom…" Ashley stepped forward and hugged her. What could she possibly say? "I'm sorry. I'll try to be home more" _If I can_. Duties were piling up on Ashley. Ever since June, when she and Zhane had been sent to the UN, Ashley had become her team's diplomatic liaison. The governments of Earth were making their first steps in interplanetary diplomacy, and Ashley was the link that enabled it all.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ashley. You're growing up, and you have your own life now. This is how it should be"

"You're awfully understanding, mom"

"I'm your mother. I _should_ be"

It was this attitude that made Ashley's heart break. Half a year prior, when Ashley began to realize what was coming, she decided to tell her parents. She figured that if she was going to try and keep her school grades on top of Ranger duties, she's be better off with the full support of her parents. Then the mess with Shiera and her parents blew off, and Ashley retreated. Life at the Karlson household seemed ideal in the few months between Emma waking up, and Shiera's revelation; since then, though, it was the cold war.

So Ashley didn't tell her parents during the summer. Then school was in session, and there was just no time to either consider or act because Ashley was too busy just staying in the race. She was abusing her Ranger stamina and she knew it: enhanced physiology or not, she didn't get nearly enough sleep and the stress was getting to her. It would be easier if she could come clean to her parents – but what if they wouldn't support her?

_I'm being ridiculous_, Ashley told herself for the thousandth time. Her mother was probably the single most supportive parent ever, and her dad could be one of the more laid-back parents she knew as long as she didn't dabble in what he called "men stuff". _Okay, so fighting monsters is his idea of 'men stuff'. But he was actually proud when I proved I do have some mechanical skills – even if it took him half a year to accept it first_.

"I love you, mom". Ashley kissed her mother's check. "I really do"

"Ashley…" Sylvia looked at her seriously. "You know that if there's something up, you can tell your dad and me, right? Or - " Sylvia hesitated, " – or you can tell only me, and I won't tell your dad, if it's a women thing"

"What? Mom!" Like the rest of the Rangers, Ashley was damn good at faking innocence. "There's nothing wrong, I swear"

"Well, maybe it's just school stress. You are in senior year, after all", agreed Sylvia reluctantly. "But I stand by what I said. Okay?"

"Okay", agreed Ashley, but her chest felt painfully hollow. _This isn't how it should be_, she thought. _It's just so wrong_. And just like that, she made up her mind.

* * *

"Mom, dad?" asked Ashley quietly as she and her mom returned to the living room with their coffee after clearing away the lunch table. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can", said her dad. Her mom only nodded and frowned slightly. "What is it? Bad grades? Andros giving you trouble?"

Ashley smiled despite of herself. "It's nothing bad, dad. Why do you and mom think there's something wrong in my life?"

"Because you have black shadows under your eyes, that's why" was the prompt reply. "Don't take it wrong, I'm glad you decided to talk, but what took you so long?"

"I was going to tell you in summer. But then…"

"What is it, Ashley?" asked her mother gently, leaning forward where she set on the couch. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong". Ashley chuckled, but already she felt ready to cry. "It's just that I've been a Power Ranger for almost a year and a half now"

"That's not funny, Ashley" said Abe Hammond sternly. Now he, too, leaned forward, placing his forearms on his knees. "Now, what's really up?"

"I'm not joking", said Ashley. Biting her lip, she flipped open the cover of her morpher and dialed in the code. Each digit seemed to take forever.

Yellow Astro regarded her parents through her visor. "This isn't a joke", she reiterated. "Power down." She took a deep breath and waited. She didn't have to wait long.

"You were fighting?" asked her dad slowly. "My daughter had been fighting for a year and a half? It's not a teenaged girl's place to fight off alien lunatics"

"I'm still here, dad", said Ashley quietly.

It was the wrong thing to say. "Consider yourself lucky", he shot angrily. "You can also consider yourself grounded, and you're staying grounded until you resign"

Ashley opened her mouth to protest, but her mother beat her to it.

"Abe!" said Sylvia. "Don't you think we should at least hear her out first?"

"What is there to hear?" he demanded. "There used to be monster attacks twice a week, Sylvia. You saw how bad those things look on TV – and that was our daughter out there fighting. That is just wrong, don't you think?"

It was going better than Ashley expected. They believed her easily enough. She never expected her father to be swayed easily – and he seemed more concerned about Ashley's safety than anything else; but there was no way she'd be returning her morpher.

"And there probably will be more battles", continued Abe. "I say, absolutely not". He turned back to Ashley.

"No", said Ashley. She had to ram in her point before he could speak again. "I am not quitting. Has it occurred to you that I may actually be good at this? That if we managed to beat one monster after another, if we actually won this war, then we know what we are doing and are perfectly capable of it?"

"What do you mean, 'we'?" Asked her mom. "The other Rangers are your age, too?"

"Yes", said Ashley simply. "All the Rangers in the last five years were high school kids during their term. Half of them became Rangers at a younger age than we"

"And how many of them are women?" asked her dad.

"About half"

Her dad stared at her. "Who's the nutcase who authorized this?" he asked finally, "He needs to be kicked out of office"

Now was Ashley's turn to stare. "You think the government is behind the Power Rangers? They're as much in the dark as to who we are and where we come from as the next person"

"So who's funding you?" asked her mom. "You must need a lot of support"

"We fix our own stuff. Forget about fixing car engines, dad. I fix spaceships". She fought off a smile. "You're going to love the Zords"

"I'm not going to 'love' anything," he told her, "because you're quitting, remember?"

"I am not quitting, dad", she said flatly. "And it's not like you can ground me"

"Watch me"

"Abe", said Sylvia, putting a restraining arm on his. "You fought against Ashley signing up for the AP math classes in freshman year. You didn't want her in the Mechanics class, either. She did great in both"

"This is different, Sylvia. Don't be stupid"

"I'm not. But I will not let you drive her away"

"What…"

"She's a _Power Ranger_, Abe, and you think you can lock her in her room?" asked Sylvia desperately. "What makes you think she'll stay put?"

Silence.

"Power Ranger or not…" began Abe.

"Don't go there, dad", said Ashley, throat tight. "Please don't". She put her fists against her eyes. "This is why I didn't tell you", she murmured, as if to herself. "Don't make me choose". _I should've at least told the guys before doing this. This way all of them would be on the Megaship right now ready to barge in_.

"Ashley?" asked her dad after what seemed like forever. "I'm not kicking you out, you know"

"That's what it sounded like, dad. Grounded until I quit?"

"There's a big difference between grounding one's child and throwing them out"

"Except that I won't stay grounded, dad, and I won't hand the morpher back, either. I have work to do"

"What have you been doing all this time, Ashley?" asked her mother. "You said that the war is over, now. There hadn't been any fights on the news since June. So what had been keeping you so busy all this long?"

"Politics", said Ashley. She finally removed her hands from her eyes. She tried to meet her mother's gaze, but couldn't. "I got sent to talk to the UN once, back in June, and I kind of got stuck with that"

"You work at the UN?" frowned her dad.

"No. I sort of, well… Earth's ambassador to the stars"

Silence again.

"That's big", said her dad finally.

"Yeah"

"Who was doing your homework? Ship computer?"

"No, but she offered"

"Don't give me bull, young lady"

"I think that was actually the truth, Abe", said Sylvia.

Abe stared at Ashley. "The ship computer offered to do your homework for you. You refused. And you're running back and forth between governments"

"Yeah", agreed Ashley again.

"Insane", he muttered.

"Hell, yeah"

He looked at her, surprised. "You agree?"

"Do you think that I never ask myself 'why did I have to be a Power Ranger'? I do. But I'm not taking that choice back"

"Kids your age just shouldn't be fighting, Ashley", said Sylvia.

"Kids my age have always been fighting", pointed Ashley. "The 'kids away from war' thing is only a good policy for places that can afford it. And as hard as it is for high school students to keep Rangering on top of normal lives, it would've been that much harder for college kids, or people with jobs"

"And the secrecy would be to protect you", said Sylvia slowly. "To prevent a media circus"

Ashley nodded.

"You should've told us", said Abe.

"So that we could have this conversation a year and a half earlier? So that you would force me to step down before I even began? So that…" she stopped abruptly.

"No one's kicking you out, Ashley" said Sylvia. Looking sternly at her husband, she added: "No one's forcing you to resign, either"

"Wha…" began Abe.

"No", said Sylvia firmly. "Can't you tell she believes in what she does, Abe? Can't you tell how important this is to her? Look at her, Abe". Sylvia's tone became harder, not softer. "It's a crazy thing, for a kid to do this job, and I'm not even remotely happy about this. But if we try and stop her from it, she'll go out there and do it anyway – and we won't be able to be there for her". She paused and looked at Ashley. "No more lying, though. Is that understood?"

"Yes, mom"

"Now", Sylvia settled on the couch. "Who are the other Rangers? Do we know them?"

"Yes, you do. Cassie, Carlos, TJ, Andros, Zhane – I think you know him as Johnny, we Anglicized his name to prevent questions – and Shiera too"

"Andros?" her dad straightened suddenly. "Did he force you into this? If he did, I'm going to…"

"Abe!"

"Dad!"

Ashley and her mother looked at each other.

"Ashley says she's been a Ranger for almost a year and a half, now. Andros has been around for less than I year. I think it's safe to say that he was not involved in making Ashley a Ranger. Am I correct?" Sylvia didn't take her eyes off of Ashley as she spoke, even that most of her words were directed at her husband.

"Correct", agreed Ashley. "Andros and I met on the team" He mind flashed back to Andros handing them the Astro morphers, but that didn't really count, did it?

"You said you Anglicized the name of one of your teammates", continued Sylvia. "Where is he from?"

"From a planet called Kerova" said Ashley. _Here goes nothing_. "So are Andros and Karone"

Her father's eyes bulged. He mom was pale.

"They're all human, though" said Ashley. "The Kerovans are the descendants of a Norse tribe relocated there by some aliens, couple of thousands of years ago"

They weren't coming out of it. "Human", she repeated. "You're going to have grandchildren, no problem. It's just as if I've been dating someone from Europe, except that it takes less time to travel to Kerova"

Strangely enough, her father was the first of her parents to gather his wits.

"That spaceship must come in handy", he said dryly. "You keeping the engine in good condition, I hope?"

"Of course we do. There were times when we practically lived on that ship"

"So that's where you were all those times you supposedly slept at Cassie's", said Sylvia, her tone just as dry.

"Not _all_ the times. But most"

"No more lying" said Sylvia sternly.

"I already promised, mom"

"What made you decide to tell us?" asked Ashley's dad. His tone was suspicious, but Ashley couldn't really fault him for that. He was being too calm about it, if at all; _still in shock_, she figured.

"I've had enough", she said simply. "Lying is the big downside of being a Ranger. I always hated it. We're not supposed to reveal our identity to anyone unless it's 'dire circumstances'. I'm not exactly sure the last couple of months qualify as such, but…" she shrugged, hoping they would get the point.

"Do any of the other parents know?" asked her dad.

"Zhane's mom, and Shiera's family"

"Not Andros'?" asked Abe pointedly.

"His parents died in the war some three years ago", said Ashley.

"Who's taking care of him?" asked Sylvia. "There must be someone"

"Rya sort of adopted Andros and Karone. Rya is Zhane's mom"

"And she's okay with having two boys as Rangers?" asked Abe.

"She knew from the start. Kerova was a border world. They bothered less with secrecy, there"

"What about Shiera's parents?" asked Sylvia.

Ashley closed her eyes. "I was going to tell you in summer" she said slowly, "before Shiera's parents found out and it went so wrong"

"What happened?" asked Sylvia.

"Let's just say", said Ashley, opening her eyes, "that Shiera would've preferred it if they kicked her out"

"What sort of parents would do that to their kid?" asked Abe.

Ashley gave him a very pointed stare.

"What?" he demanded.

Ashley just continued to look at him.

"Oh", he said finally. "Ashley, you can't expect us to act as if this is no big deal. You can't expect me not to try and keep you out of harm's way"

"Can you ask me not to be what I am?"

"Is it really that important to you, Ashley?" asked Sylvia. With a start, Ashley realized that her mom was close to tears.

"This is big, mom" said Ashley, not wanting to say _yes_. "It's… it's my life, I suppose. Please don't make me chose"

"We're going to have to talk about it", said her dad slowly. "But if I ever do anything like driving you away, you have my permission to say it to my face"

Whatever it was Ashley wanted to say came out as a sob. Sylvia got up from the couch and hugged Ashley where the girl was sitting.

"This is always going to be your home, Ashley", she said, "and were always going to love you. Everything else we'd deal with"

Abe surprised both of them by leaving the couch, pulling Ashley up on her feet, and holding both her and his wife. It took a few minutes for the three-way hug to break up.

"I want to see that spaceship", he told her. "And I want to meet that Rya person"

"No problem". Then she winced. "Except that the guys are gonna kill me because I didn't warn them before telling you guys"

"Where you supposed to let them know first?" asked Sylvia.

"They'd want to know", said Ashley.

"To be there for you?" suggested Sylvia.

"If anything would've went wrong", agreed Ashley.

Abe frowned, but he didn't seem upset. "You lot are a family too, aren't you"

"Yes". Ashley's smile was wide and relieved. "We are"


	3. Springtime

**Part 3: Birthday Run

* * *

**

"_Friday morning at nine o'clock she is far away  
__Waiting to keep the appointment she made  
__Meeting a man from the motor trade"  
_Lennon and McCartney, "She's Leaving Home"

* * *

_Friday, March 19, 1999_

00:01.

She should get up.

It was past midnight. She had been staring at the clock for little under four hours, now, waiting for midnight – waiting for the date to change. If she'd have gotten up couple of minutes ago then she'd be ready to leave by now, but she didn't.

She really should get up.

It was after midnight. She should get out – no point loitering if she was leaving. She was not one to waste time or to hesitate once she had made up her mind. Was she hesitating now?

Any second and it would be 00:02. It would be two minutes into the new day, and she would still be lying in bed, motionless. Was she afraid? She dismissed the thought at it appeared – precious few things scared her, and none of them was relevant to the current situation. But she was still lying in bed. Was she nervous? She had done more daring things without blinking or looking back once.

00:02.

Why was this so hard?

She'd been trained for awareness for the last eight months: of her surroundings, and mostly of herself. She was acquiring the habit of not acting without understanding the motives behind her will to act. She knew perfectly well her reasons for wanting to do what she set out to do tonight. It was her reasons for _not_ acting that scared her.

Should she or should she not act?

She pushed herself into a sitting position. _Get out first, think later_. She had had to change into pajamas earlier, but she had a uniform tucked under the mattress. She pulled it out and changed quickly. The emblems on the jacket were clearly visible to her, even in the dark, and she tried hard not to look at them. The uniform was a Megaship uniform, black like Zhane's and with the Megaship's golden _M_ on the back, but it was not an Astro uniform: the Astro uniforms had two mission tags on their right breast and shoulder, and hers had none; the Astro uniforms had a color bar at the top of their left breast, and she had none; and where the Astros' Power Strike went over a triangle of their color, hers went over a muted green background contained within a thin blue ring.

All her school stuff was in her locker at school, and everything of personal value had been transferred to the Megaship a long time ago. Everything else she could easily find in the dark, and it fit easily into the backpack: three pairs of pants, a stack of shirts, a jacket, socks and underwear. She put the toothbrush and toothpaste in a side pocket and tied the sneakers to the back of the bag.

She tugged the bootlaces again – not that they needed it – straightened up and shouldered the bag. All set. She checked her communicator, and frowned. The Megaship was not in Earth orbit. She could page for a glider and it would reach her in a matter of minutes, but now that she got moving she didn't want to delay; and she didn't want to alert anyone on the Megaship, either – there was no knowing what DECA might decide to report.

She'd have to teleport, then. She still didn't like long-distance teleports, but at least they didn't give her hypercharge, anymore. _That_ was a bother, and the reason she had her own glider for over half a year now.

She was delaying again. Once she realized it, the darkened room disappeared in a heartbeat and she was standing in a sunlit kitchen. No one was home – as she expected. It was early afternoon over here, and Rya and the girls had no reason to be home. The house was quiet, and she counted on it staying this way at least for a few hours. Still, it felt weird to be at somebody else's house, all alone and without telling anyone that she would be there.

She walked over to the living room, dropped her bag by the couch, undid the boots, lay down and was asleep in a matter of seconds.

* * *

She woke up sharply, as she always did. There was another person breathing next to her – less than a foot away. There were only three people who could get this close to her, while she was asleep, without waking her up first. Emma was asleep in her room on Earth and she would've known if Carlos was this close, and this left only one option.

Karone was sitting on the floor, watching her. This was not where Shiera fell asleep.

She pushed herself up, sharply, eyes scanning the room: wardrobe, ink paintings, armchair, body-length mirror, bureaus at either size of the bed. She'd never seen this room before.

"Where are we?"

"We thought you'd take a glider" said Karone, disregarding Shiera's question. "The teleportation was a bit of a surprise, so you got extra twenty minutes of sleep on top of what we had planned"

"What the hell is going on?"

Karone pulled herself from her cross-legged position into a standing one. "You probably realized already that we're on a spaceship", she said. "It used to be a freighter. Andros and Zhane completely redid the engines, though, so it runs almost as fast as the Megaship, now. Redoing what used to be crew quarters was team effort. You have this unit, and two smaller guest units. There's also a nice training area in what used to be one of the cargo bays"

"You've got all the facilities here", continued Karone. Shiera was still sitting on the bed, frozen to the spot. "You can park it in Earth orbit for school, and set a course for wherever when you want to. Happy eighteenth birthday, Shiera"

Shiera turned her head slowly, taking in the sight of the room, before focusing on Karone again.

"I didn't tell anyone I was going to leave", she said slowly. "Not even Carlos"

"None of us expected you to stay there", said Karone. She set down beside Shiera. "I think I knew you were going to leave before you did"

"Karone, this is _huge_…"

"It's right", said Karone simply.

Shiera stood up and started exploring the room. She moved slowly, carefully, taking her time to examine each piece of furniture. Karone remained seated, watching her.

A sad chuckle escaped Shiera as she opened the wardrobe.

"You always dress the same", said Karone from behind here. "It was easy. Stocking the kitchen was harder"

Shiera turned. "There's a kitchen?"

"I told you you have all the facilities", said Karone. She got up and stood next to Shiera, facing her.

"Thank you", said Shiera in a low voice.

Karone shook her head. "Happy birthday", she repeated.

Shiera shook her head. She was close to tears.

"Come on, you should see the rest of the place". She took Shiera's hand and tugged her towards the door. The girl was still slightly in shock – not that Karone could blame her. "Don't you want to see it?"

Shiera finally moved. The room's door slid open as they approached it. The kitchen and living room area were essentially one space, separated only by a half-height bulkhead. TJ and Andros were sitting on one of the couches, playing Chess. Ashley was also on the couch, sitting behind Andros, her arm on one of his left shoulder and her chin rested on his right. Cassie was keeping Carlos occupied in the kitchen, and Zhane was apparently trying to distract them both. There were balloons everywhere, and a very large "Happy Birthday" banner.

Everybody turned their heads when they heard the door swish open.

Shiera froze. Karone put her hand on Shiera's shoulder and prayed that the girl won't faint. Then Carlos rushed towards them, and Karone stepped away as he pulled Shiera off of her feet, hugged her and kissed her all in one movement. They only broke the kiss when the catcalls from Zhane and TJ became too loud, but Shiera remained next to Carlos, hands tight on his shirt as if she would fall without this support; which, Karone concluded, may well be true.

Everyone gathered around them, offering birthday wishes and congratulations. It was a good few moments before Shiera found her voice, and her first strangled words were: "I should kill you guys".

The general response was laughter.

"After we have cake", said TJ.

"You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"The sign of a good surprise party", said Zhane cheerfully.

"And nearly all of you have school tomorrow"

"As do you", pointed Cassie.

"We're in transit from Kerova to Earth", explained Ashley. "We'll be in Earth orbit before dawn, even"

Shiera shook her head wordlessly.

"Yeah", said Andros sympathetically. "Happy birthday, Shiera"

* * *

School was a haze that day. The little sleep she got before Karone woke her on the ship was the only sleep she got that night – they partied until after they arrived in Earth orbit, and Carlos remained with her even after everyone else dispersed. She hadn't really listened in any of her classes – or rather, she listened even less then she usually did.

Then classes were over, and she caught the bus to "Gung Ho". The dojo had replaced the "Surf Spot" as the team's hangout as months progressed: it was more secure than Adelle's, and the secret chamber Rocky had installed during last summer's renovation proved itself useful time and time again.

She didn't see Rocky when she entered, but that didn't mean he wasn't there. Rocky was always there – Ben, the owner, pulled back from most duties over the time that passed since he hired Rocky full-time, after Rocky's graduation, and now Rocky was the actual manager of the dojo.

There was a huge fish tank by the wall, and Shiera kneeled next to it. It was a new thing, and she wondered where Rocky was going to put it.

* * *

He saw her by the fish tank from upstairs, and he smiled. His smile widened as he came downstairs and she didn't yet notice him, busy watching the fish. He stopped four feet behind her.

"Hi, Shiera"

"Hi, Rocky" She turned her head to great him, but immediately returned to watching the fish.

"Cool, isn't it?" he asked. He stepped forward, standing practically over her.

"It's amazing", she said. "I didn't know you like fish"

"Yeah, well"

"Where are you going to put it? It doesn't fit anywhere in the dojo"

"No, it doesn't", he agreed. The smile had long turned into a full grin. "But it's just the right size for the counter you have between the kitchen and the living room"

She spun and stood so fast that she almost knocked him off his feet. The expression on her face was priceless.

"You were on this too?"

"Well, duh. How else could I get the right measurements?" he asked rhetorically. "It's from Adam and Tommy, too, since they couldn't be here today. They send their wishes, though; and the fish"

Any normal girl would've squealed by now, and probably hugged him, but Shiera only laughed a little and shook her head. "It's incredible. Thanks, Rocky"

"You're welcome. Happy birthday, kid"

She plopped down by the tank. "This was a_ long_ day"

"So I heard", he agreed. "And it's not over yet. You may want to change into gi"

She groaned out loud. "Class in fifteen. Damn!"

He bent down and patted her knee. "Plenty of coffee in the kitchen"

"I know what you call coffee", she retorted. "No thanks"

"This is good coffee", he told her. "Adam's stuff"

She nodded and pushed herself up. "I'd better change first. But I do hope you meant 'plenty' "

"Sure I did. Can't have you fainting in the middle of class because you didn't sleep enough"

She glared at him. He raised his arms in mock-surrender. "What? It's not like it didn't happen before, you know!"

* * *

Carlos met her after class, as he always did. He brought Emma with him. She ran over to Shiera and Shiera picked her up, not caring who might see.

"God, I missed you, baby girl", she said. "Sorry for not telling you"

Emma gave her a Look. "I knew you were going to leave"

"You were in on the entire scheme, too?"

"Duh". Emma rolled her eyes. "I did my room. Now we don't need to order the Megaship each time I wanna visit Melissa or Kirrie!"

"You can stop asking people if they knew", Carlos told her. "Everyone's in who could be told"

"So what did you name it?" asked Emma. "The ship", she added at Shiera's blank expression.

Now was Carlos' turn to roll his eyes. "You had all day, and you didn't think up a name?"

"Why does it need a name?"

"Because we can't just say 'the ship' each time. There are plenty of ships out there"

"Why do _I_ need to name it?"

"Because it's yours", pointed Emma practically. "But I'll name it for you if you want"

"And how would you name it?"

" 'Orbit' " said Emma.

" 'Orbit'?" asked Carlos, amused.

Emma shrugged. "It's the next practical name after naming it 'ship'," she pointed.

" 'Orbit' it is", agreed Shiera. "So, anyone up for dinner on Orbit? I think there's some food left from the party"

"The place was stocked", informed her Carlos. "There's no way we ate everything, even with both Zhane and TJ around"

"Let's check"

They bantered their way through dinner, and everything was so normal that Carlos found it almost physically painful. But Shiera never asked how her parents responded to her disappearance, and Emma hadn't brought it up, either.

* * *

_This brings about the end of the PRiS part of SL-verse. The next story in SL-verse, "Constellations", will be primarily a Ninja Storm story. The gap between spring 1999 and summer 2002 will remain unbrigded by stories, i'm afraid, but if you're really curious about what happened in that interval, feel free to email/PM me. I do enjoy communication._

_Thanks:  
- Roie, friend and beta reader, who not only corrected and edited, but also helped develop characters and plots.  
- All the people who ever reviewed SL-verse, and particularly the early reviewers (The Fink) and those reviewers who stuck around for all the stories so far (Mara, Jeanka). Thank you, and I hope you enjoyed the ride. See you around!_


End file.
